Fit cowl with exhaust on or off?

[alpinelakespilot2000]

My firewall fwd plans tell me to have the exhaust on while fitting the cowl, while the bulletin on Van's website suggests the opposite, having the exhaust off and out of the way while trying to fit the cowl. Because I am planning to pull the entire mount and engine before I paint, I'm trying to avoid any FWF stuff that doesn't need to be done until after paint. Thus, the logic of leaving the (standard Vetterman) exhaust off while doing the cowl fitting seems, well, logical. Any suggestions to the contrary?

Thanks.

[Shockwave]

I don't see how it could be a problem with fitting the cowl.

We had the exhaust on when we did the wiring and plumbing. It made it a little more cramped, but it also let us keep things away from them. Easier to reoute a wire than the exhaust.

I'm curious why you want to pull the engine mount before paint?

[rvbuilder2002]

On or off it doesn't matter...but if you are using a vertical induction engine that will require installation of an airbox on the bottom, you will want the exhaust NOT installed. It is nearly impossible to reach in and adjust the position for alignment to the cowl if the exhaust is installed.

[alpinelakespilot2000]

Originally Posted by Shockwave

I'm curious why you want to pull the engine mount before paint?

Thanks for your comments. I'm following another builder who is loaning me a rotisserie for rotating the fuselage while painting. It bolts right to the firewall. Yes, I know the fuse can be painted standing upright, but this method has proved really slick, and will especially make my job, as a first time painter, much easier. Pulling the engine, mount, and gear all in one shot is a piece of cake with a hoist. I've recently been working on getting all the necessary wires through the firewall. After paint, I'll be re-installing the mount/engine and exhaust system, then routing all the wires and cables fwd of the firewall.